Oodiniaceae

Stylodinium (style-owe-din-ee-um) is a rather unusual dinoflagellate, in which one phase of the life history is as a stalked and unflagellated cell - as here. Other forms include cysts, flagellates and heliozoan like organisms. The dinoflagellate nucleus with its condensed chromosomes is seen upper right. The circular structure is /are starch deposits around a pyrenoid. Probably related to Pfiesteria, a genus gaining (undue?) significance for its potential as a source of fish killer. Differential interference contrast.

Stylodinium littorale motile cells are oval from the dorsal side. Length 12 - 20 microns, width 9 – 15 microns. Non-motile cells are a similar shape, surrounded by a hyaline layer, attached to the substrate by a colourless stalk, approximately 15 microns long and 3 microns wide, from the apex. On the motile cell, cingulum begins approximately 0.5 of the cell length from the apex, in the centre of the cell, descending across the dorsal side, not continuing onto the ventral side. Cytoplasm full of small yellow-green plastids. Colourless globules also present. Pyrenoid (2 – 3 microns) present in the centre of the cell. Nucleus in the hypocone, 3 – 4 microns wide. Motile cell very fast swimming.

Stylodinium littorale Horiguchi et Chihara 1983

Stylodinium littorale Horiguchi et Chihara 1983

Stylodinium littorale Horiguchi et Chihara 1983

Sampling date 04/2006.Place name: Pond Demühlen, rain storage reservoir in Kiel-Russee (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)  Latitude: 54.304095     Longitude: 10.086073Microscope Zeiss Universal , camera Olympus C7070WZ. DOF image.© Wolfgang Bettighofer,images under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA).For permission to use of (high resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.For further information about the image, please click here: Link to protisten.de page